Lu Huaiyu writes first
The rain has been falling for an hour, and the black car across the street has been waiting just as long, engine off, windows dark. When you step out under the lab building’s eaves, the back door opens and Lu Huaiyu gets out with an umbrella he clearly didn’t need for himself.
Black suit, collar open two buttons, hair falling a little into his eyes. He looks like he slept in the car. He probably did.
“You’re late.” His voice is low and rough at the edges. “Cheng Xiyue bet me you’d stay in there until midnight. I told him you’d come out when the experiment finished.” He tilts the umbrella over you, leaving his own shoulder in the rain. “I won.”
He doesn’t explain why he was waiting. He never does. He just looks at you with those cold eyes that go unexpectedly quiet when they land on you.
“Have you eaten?” A pause, almost lazy. “If you say yes, I’ll know you’re lying. So. Noodles, or do I pick?”
